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The magic of laser microdissection: how to pick your cells under the microscope?
In modern biological research, Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) technology has become a tool that cannot be ignored. It provides scientists with a way to precisely select specific cells under a microscope, making a variety of single-cell molecular analyses possible. This technology not only deepens our understanding of cellular functions, but also opens up potential applications in disease research.
Principles of Laser Microcutting
Laser microdissection technology allows researchers to directly observe and select tissue cells of interest under a microscope. The technology uses the high-precision cutting ability of lasers to remove surrounding non-target cells to obtain pure cell populations that reveal true biological signals. The key to LCM is that it can support a variety of downstream applications, including DNA genotyping, RNA transcript profiling, cDNA library generation, proteomics, and signaling pathway analysis.
The execution time of the entire program is typically between 1 and 1.5 hours.
Extraction Process
In LCM, a laser is integrated into a microscope and focused on tissue on a slide. The laser moves on a trajectory predetermined by the user, cutting away unwanted cells and extracting target cells. In this process, the latest technology has introduced non-contact micro-cutting methods to avoid contamination that may be caused by direct contact.
There are many ways to extract cells, such as using sticky surfaces to adhere to the sample, heated plastic film to hold the sample, and the latest non-contact laser push technology. These processes all focus on extracting cells without damaging molecules such as DNA and RNA, further increasing their versatility.
Operation process
Tissue sections are visualized under a microscope through a software interface, and cells or cell clusters are identified manually or automatically. There are currently six main techniques for separating cells under a microscope. Most systems use ultraviolet pulsed lasers for direct tissue cutting or are used in conjunction with infrared lasers to heat and melt adhesive polymers for cell adhesion and separation.
Even living cells are not damaged after laser cutting and can be cloned and recultured under appropriate conditions.
Application Areas
Because the LCM process does not alter or damage the morphology and chemical properties of the collected samples, this technique is particularly effective in the analysis of DNA, RNA, and proteins. Many researchers have successfully isolated cell-free structures such as amyloid plaques using LCM techniques. LCM can be performed on a variety of tissue samples, including blood smears, cytology preparations, cell cultures, and solid samples.
We are in an era of rapid development in biological sciences, and the potential and application scope of laser microdissection technology are constantly expanding, which provides new perspectives for our research and understanding of various diseases. Where will this technology lead biomedicine in the future?
